Portable sanitary toilet

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A PORTABLE SANITARY TOILET CART FOR USE IN HOSPITALS, INSTITUTIONS, NURSING HOMES, AND THE LIKE. A WHEELED CART IS PROVIDED WITH A FOOTREST PORTIONS, A BACK PORTION, AND A WASTE RECEPTACLE PORTION, A CLAMPING MECHANISM IS SHOWN FOR CLAMPING THE PORTABLE SANITARY TOILET CART TO THE SIDE-RAIL OF A BED. A REMOVEABLE WASTE RECEPTACLE IS ALSO SHOWN.

1971 c. WIPPICH PORTABLE SANITARY TOILET Filed June 12, 1970 INVENTORI LOU/3 C. W/PP/CH g ATT NEY United States Patent Ofice 3,611,457 Patented Oct. 12, 1971 3,611,457 PORTABLE SANITARY TOILET Louis C. Wippich, Sauk Rapids, Minn. 56379 Filed June 12, 1970, Ser. No. 45,615 Int. Cl. A47k 11/04; A61g 9/00 U.S. Cl. 4-134 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates generally to portable toilet facilities. More specifically, it relates to an improved wheeled cart that is in the form of a portable sanitary toilet cart having a removeable waste disposal receptacle, for minimizing the use of bedpans.

(2) Description of the prior art It is well known in hospitals, institutions, nursing homes, and the like, that the problem of getting a large number of individuals to toilet facilities creates a problem for the nursing and attendang staffs. Many facilities do not have toilet capabilities for each room or ward, and requires either that the individual Walk to the toilet facility, be wheeled to the toilet facility in a wheelchair, or utilize the standard bedpan. For persons that are bedridden and are incapable of being moved extensively, the bedpan is the most reasonable and practical device to be used for waste removal. However, in most instances where the patient or institutionalized person is capable of, getting out of bed, but is incapable of moving about without a great deal of assistance, the common bedpan leaves much to be desired. It is unnatural to use, and presents the additional problem of likelihood of spilling or messing in the bed.

The common bedpan is basically undesirable and difficult for most people to manage. Due to the generally shallow construction, the user is likely to spill the contents of the bedpan on himself when moving around on the bedpan, and to spill the contents in the bed when attempting to remove the used bedpan. The common bedpan is very unsatisfactory to use for persons that are required to receive enemas to relieve themselves. Once used, the common bedpan is subject to releasing undesirable odors, since they are not covered, thereby tending to be offensive to other patients, persons, and attendants. Still a further problem of the common bedpan is that having to individually clean them for each usage, thereby subjecting attendants to a very unhealthy and undesirable task.

Attempts to solve the problem of spilling the bedpan, and making the use of the bedpan more of a normal operation, have been made. These prior attempts at improving on the common bedpan normally include modification of the mattress structure for hospital beds and the like. This modification often includes providing holes through a portion of the mattress in which various types of waste receptacles are installed or located. Various complex spring and lever mechanisms are utilized in the prior art for raising the waste receptacle device into a useable position at the surface of the bed. The devices illustrated in the prior art all require the removal of the normal bedsheet in order to use the waste receptacle, or requires the provision of a special type of bedsheet having openings appropriately placed for permitting the use ofi the waste receptacles.

The commonly used bedpan, as well as the various waste receptacles to be installed in or through the mattress, share the common problem of requiring extensive use of personnel to bring the waste receptacle device to the user, to assist the user, to remove the waste receptacle device, and to empty and clean the waste receptacle devices.

For those persons that need to utilize toilet facilities, and are capable of getting out of bed, it is necessary to provide nursing or attendant assistants to assist such persons to remotely located toilet facilities. For sick, feeble, or aged persons, the walk to the toilet facility is generally slow and tedious and requires an undue amount of attendant time. For those persons that are required to be moved by wheelchair, it is required that an undue amount of effort on the part of the attendant be expended in that the person must be first gotten from the bed into the wheelchair, from the wheelchair to the toilet facility, from the toilet facility back to the wheelchair, and from the wheelchair back to the bed.

The foregoing described prior art devices and operations often are inconvenient and uncomfortable for the user, are unduly expensive in the amount of required maintenance and attendant time required, and can create sanitary problems due to spillage.

SUMMARY The portable sanitary toilet cart of the present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art for persons that are capable of getting out of bed either alone or with assistance, by providing a sanitary Waste disposal device that can be wheeled from bed to bed. The sanitary portable toilet cart of this invention comprises a toilet seat mounted on wheels, with a removeable disposable waste receptacle coupled in cooperation with the toilet seat. A backrest is provided with a handle device for assisting in getting from the bed to the toilet cart, and with an opening therein for permitting the application of medication and enemas when when required. An armrest is provided at one side of the sanitary toilet cart for assisting in steadying the user. A clamping mechanism is utilized for clamping the entire portable sanitary toilet cart to the side of the bed for preventing movement of the toilet cart when the user is moving from the bed to the cart, and from the cart back to the bed, and for preventing any possible tipping of the toilet cart.

In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved portable sanitary toilet cart for use in hospitals, institutions, nursing homes, and the like, that will materially reduce the requirements of using the common bedpan. Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved sanitary toilet cart having a removable disposable waste receptacle. Another primary object of this invention is to virtually eliminate the use of the common bedpan with its attendant problems of messing the user, spilling in the bed, undesirable odors, and unhealthy cleaning requirements. Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved portable sanitary toilet cart having a clamping mechanism for clamping the toilet cart to the side of a bed for preventing movement when getting on and off from the toilet cart and for preventing tipping of the toilet cart. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved portable sanitary toilet cart capable of being readily moved from bed to bed for allowing persons to move from a bed directly to the portable toilet cart for waste disposal without requiring traveling,

3 either by walking or by wheelchair, to remotely located toilet facilities. Still another object of this invention is to eliminate the need of using bedpans except for bedridden persons that are not capable of getting out of bed. Still another object of this invention is to provide a portable sanitary toilet cart that will conserve the time of attendants to persons having to utilize toilet facilities by eliminating the need of walking to and from remote toilet locations, and by greatly eliminating the sanitary cleaning requirements required for bedpans and the like. A further object of this invention is to eliminate the need of any mutilation of the bed mattress, for waste receptacle devices, and to eliminate the need for any special type of bedsheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAVVINGS- The foregoing and other more detailed and speci fic objectives will be disclosed in the course of the following specification and claims, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the portable sanitary toilet cart of this invention, having a portion shown cut away for illustrating the inner structure and a portion of the waste receptacle device; and FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of one form of clamping device that can be utilized to clamp the portable sanitary cart to the side of a bed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the portable sanitary toilet cart of this invention. The cart 10 includes a toilet seat portion 12 mounted on an upper supporting surface 14. The seat 12 has an opening downwardly extended in the direction of arrow 16. A removable disposable waste-receptacle bag 18 is fitted over seat 12, thereby providing a sanitary surface covering for the entire seat area, and extends downwardly in the direction of arrow 16. Disposable waste-receptacle bag 18 can characteristically be a fluid-tight plastic bag, or the like. Below surface 14 there is a wire basket comprised of a plurality of curved wire elements 20 coupled to circular element 21 at the upper ends and coupled to the upper portion of container 22, which in turn is resting on the lower support surface 24 of the cart 10. Container 22 and the associated wire elements are removable. Once the user has utilized the sanitary toilet cart, the disposable waste-receptacle bag 18 is removed from seat 12, and can be pushed downwardly for complete removal and disposal by removing container 22, the

wire basket, and tying the top of bag 18, and taken to a disposal area. A new disposal waste-receptacle bag can then be placed over seat 12 and the sanitary toilet cart 10 and down in container 22, and is ready for the next user. The disposable waste receptacle bag is coupled around seat 12 by a draw-string or the like.

The sanitary toilet cart 10 is mounted on a pair of rear wheels 26 and 28 by axle 30 and support member 32 at each of the rear corners. A swivel wheel 34 is mounted to front support 36. Of course two front swivel wheels could be used, but are not found to be necessary. This three wheel arrangement allows easy maneuverability of sanitary toilet cart 10 through doorways, halls, and between beds, and the like. The front surface 38 supports a footrest 40, with a padded layer 42 thereon. The front also has padded surface 44 for protecting the legs of the user and making the use of the sanitary toilet cart 10 relatively comfortable. An internal framework (not shown) of support members provides structural support and rigidity.

An armrest 46 having a padded top 48 is supported by member 50 at the front of the cart 10 and by the backrest. A supporting brace 54 is coupled intermediate armrest 46 and rear support member '52 for providing added support to the armrest 46. Brace member 56 is coupled intermediate armrest 46 and support member 50 to give additional outward support to the armrest 46. Downwardly etxending member 58 has forwardly extending member 60 arranged for supporting a roll of toilet paper 62. The upper edge 64 of forwardly extending member 60 provides a retaining edge tending to hold the roll of toilet paper 62 in such a manner that it is retained between the edge 64 and the support member 58.

A padded back portion 66 is supported at one side by member 52 and at the other side by member 68 and curved member 70. A pair of handles 72 and 74 are coupled to support members 52 and 70, respectively. The handles 72 and 74 are closed, thereby avoiding any protruding elements that might cause injury to anyone working around the sanitary toilet cart 10, While providing a sure gripping area for the attendant to move the cart 10 about.

The curved portion of support member 70 can be utilized as a hand-hold area for the person that is going to use the portable sanitary toilet cart 10, to assist himself in moving from the bed onto cart 10. The opening between support members 52 and 68 can be utilized by nursing or attendant staff for purposes of applying medication or administering enemas to a patient when utilizing the cart 10.

The support members and braces can be tubular or bar members, and characteristically are constructed from metal.

The side member 76 has an aperture 78 therethrough. A hook member 80 extends outwardly through aperture 78, and is utilized for clamping to the side-rail of a bed (not shown). This clamping mechanism will be described in more detail below. Bar member 82 is mounted with its upper surface 84 generally parallel to surface 14, and extending outwardly from side member 76, and is used to engage the side-rail for providing support and stability to cart 10. Lever 86 controls the operation of clamping member 80.

Turning to a consideration of FIG. 2, which is a diagrammatic view of one form of clamping device that can be utilized to clamp the portable sanitary toilet cart 10 to the side of a bed, it can be seen that sidewall 76, having aperture 78 therethrough, also has outwardly extending member 82 mounted thereon. The size of aperture 78 is greater than the cross-sectional dimension of clamping member 80. Rod 88 has one end threaded and is coupled to turn-buckle 91. Rod 89 has one end threaded and in cooperation with turn-buckle 91, and the other end pivotally mounted at point '92 to curved member 94. Support 96 holds member 98, and member 100- is pivotally mounted at points 92 and 101. The handle 86 is coupled to point 92. A lock nut 103 is in cooperation with turn-buckle 91 so as to hold the position set. The other end of member 88 is coupled to a downwardly extending portion 100 of clamping member 80. As handle 86 is moved in the direction of arrow 102, pivot point moves in the direction of 104, thereby causing clamping member 80 to be retracted toward side 76. As clamping member 80 is retracted, downwardly extending portion is engaged by the lower surface of aperture 78 causing it to be raised, and to engage the bed rail. Considering that dashed member 106 represents the side-rail of a bed (not shown) which has been adjusted to a height to rest on support member 82, it can be seen that when clamping member 80 is retracted by the movement of handle 86 in the direction of 102, that clamping member 80 will be in the position illustrated in dashed line at 80'. This clamping action draws the bed rail 106 tightly against sidewall 76, and supporting surface 84 of support member 82, while being 'held in this position by clamping member 80. This arrangement completely prevents any movement of cart 10 when the user is moving from the bed to the cart'or from the cart to the bed, and prevents any possible tendency of the cart 10 to tip. When it is desired to move the sanitary toilet cart 10 to the next bed, it is necessary merely to move the handle 86 in a. direction opposite to that of arrow 102 thereby extending clamping member 80 to the position shown in full line, thereby releasing the bed rail 106 and permitting the cart to be moved.

The curved member 94 and its relationship with member 100 and support 98 and rod 89 results in a simple locking operation when handle 86 is moved as far in the direction of arrow 102 as is possible. The arrangement prohibits any release of the clamp 80 from the bed rail 106 as a result of merely moving about on cart 10; but, instead, requires that the handle 86 be raised to release.

The turn-buckle 9'1 and'lock nut 103 permit the total lateral expanse of rods 88 and 89 to be adjustable. This adjustment can be required to accommodate various sizes of bed rails 106. This adjustment will normally only have to be made once when the cart 10 is brought into use, since normally each installation will have a common type of bed that the adjustment will fit. The adjustment permits a firm clamping action to be achieved, and will tend to eliminate any appreciable movement between bed and cart. Once adjusted for a firm fit, lock nut 103 is tightened against one end of turn-buckle 91 and the adjustment is set.

The curved wire members together with circular member 21, allow an area for the bag 18 to expand as it is sealed and air is trapped therein. The sealing of bag 18 completely eliminates any escape of odor or germs as the bag is taken for disposal ,and also completely eliminates any problem of spilling, since the bottom is supported in container 22. Since the bags 18 are disposable, they are totally sanitary and require no cleaning, as do the common bedpans.

In conclusion, then, it can be seen from the foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that the various stated objectives of this invention have been achieved. An improved portable sanitary toilet cart having removable disposable waste receptacles and means for clamping the toilet cart to a bed rail for permitting a person to move from the bed to the toilet cart and from the toilet cart to the bed without movement of the cart has been described and disclosed. These arrangements virtually eliminate the need for use of the common bedpan and greatly facilitate the handling of human waste disposal in a sanitary and comfortable manner. It being recognized that various modifications of dimension, physical arrangement, and selection of materials, will become apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, what is intended to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable sanitary toilet cart comprising: upper and lower supporting surface means; toilet seat means mounted on said upper supporting surface; receptacle means coupled to said toilet seat means and extending downwardly from said toilet seat means, said receptacle means having a closed fluid-tight lower extremity; container means supported on said lower supporting surface means, said container means having a closed bottom and an opening in the upper portion in cooperation with said lower extremity of said receptacle means; front means and first and second side means coupled intermediate said upper and lower supporting surface means; backrest means mounted on the rear portion of said upper supporting surface means, said backrest means including a first opening therein for providing access to a user of the toilet cart for purposes of giving enemas or applying medication, grasping means for grasping when moving onto the toilet cart, and first and second rearwardly extending handles for grasping to move the toilet cart; armrest means mounted intermediate said backrest means and said first side means; footrest means mounted on the front of said lower supporting means; wheel means mounted under said lower supporting surface means for permitting movement of the toilet cart; and clamping means in cooperation with said second side means for removeably clamping the cart to the side-rail of a bed for preventing movement of the toilet cart.

2. A toilet cart as in claim 1 wherein said receptacle means is removably coupled to said seat means and has a portion extending downwardly through said seat means into said container means, and said receptacle means is disposable.

3. A toilet cart as in claim 2 wherein said removable disposable receptacle means comprises a plastic bag.

4. A toilet cart as in claim 3 and further including retaining means for holding the open end of said plastic bag around said seat means.

5. A toilet cart as in claim 1 wherein said wheel means include a pair of rear wheels rotatably mounted beneath the rear of said lower supporting surface means, and a swivel wheel means mounted beneath the front of said lower supporting surface means.

6. A toilet cart as in claim 1 wherein said clamping means includes hook means for hooking around a portion of the side-rail of a bed.

7. A toilet cart as in claim 6 wherein said hook means has a downwardly extending portion integrally formed with rod means, said rod means slidably extending through an aperture in said second side means, said downwardly extending portion for raising and lowering said hook means as said rod means is moved back and forth.

8. A toilet cart as in claim 7 and further including clamp handle means coupled to said rod means for moving said rod means back and forth for hooking and releasing said hook means.

9. A toilet cart as in claim 8 and further including bed rail engaging means mounted on said second side means, said engaging means outwardly extending generally parallel to said upper supporting surface means, and having a surface for engaging a portion of a bed rail, said engaging means located such that when said hook means is retracted to the hooking position the side rail is supported on said supporting surface between said second side means and said hook means, thereby preventing movement of the toilet cart.

10. A toilet cart as in claim 9 wherein said clamp handle means extends outwardly and downwardly from said first side means beneath said armrest means for allowing an attendant to cause said hook means to be retracted to the hooking position when the toilet cart is in a cooperative relation to the side of a bed, and further including adjusting means for adjusting the length of said rod means for accommodating various sizes of bed rails.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,037,578 4/1936 Hoaglund et al 4134 2,748,834 6/1956 Schwinn 4134 X 2,869,614 1/1959 Wamsley 4134 UX 3,050,741 8/1962 Coleman 4134 3,062,582 11/1962 Baldwin 4134 X 3,245,090 4/1966 Slimmar 4134 3,271,785 9/1966 DuBose 4-134 3,341,864 9/1967 Wichmann 4134 HENRY K. ARTIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

